The Rutles - Archaeology - Music & Performance - CD

The brainchild of Neil Innes of Bonzo Dog Band and Monty Python's Eric Idle, The Rutles became a hit with Beatles fans around the world following the 1978 NBC broadcast of the hilarious "rockumentary" satire All You Need Is Cash (the album received a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Recording that year). on the heels of the Beatles Anthology 3, this new album of 16 rare and never-before-released Rutles songs features the debut single "Shangri-La" (which bears an uncanny resemblance to "Hey Jude"); the video features many celebrity cameo appearances.

It had to happen -- if the Beatles were going to finally mine their recorded legacy for the world to enjoy, could the Rutles be far behind? Ex-Bonzo Dog Band member Neil Innes, who was the musical genius behind the original Rutles' output, got back with ex-Beach Boy Ricky Fataar and drummer John Halsey, and they finished and released Archaeology in time to take advantage of the prospects for renewed Rutlemania. The results are better than anything that Paul or Ringo has come up with in decades, and also manage to parody the outtake structure of much of the Beatles' Anthology material, complete with flubbed notes and harmonies -- the Rutles' outtakes are as enjoyable and maybe more edifying about humor than some of the Beatles' outtakes are about music. What makes this work even better than the original Rutles album in some ways is that the Rutles don't have to even go through the motions of "finishing" these songs -- they can have fun at the expense of the Beatles' less-than-perfect songs, which are sometimes pretty funny themselves. So "Hey Mister" can ape "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and "Yer Blues" without shame, right down to the studio screaming at the end, and "Easy Listening" has merciless fun at the expense of Ringo's vocals and Paul's "Why Don't We Do It in the Road," as well as his solo-era pop successes. "Now She's Left You" is a vicious takeoff of "Yesterday" -- and, even better, of "Yesterday" as a concert number. Echoes of Sgt. Pepper's, Magical Mystery Tour, the White Album, and Rubber Soul resound throughout (listen for the repeated "number two, number two, number two" at the end of "We've Arrived"). "Unfinished Words" ("left is right, right is wrong") may be better than "Cheese and Onions" as a parody of John Lennon's writing style, and most of the rest is in that league. The production is excellent, and the sound, strangely enough, has held up better than that of the Beatles' vintage tapes. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Performer	The Rutles
Music genre	Rock
Media format	CD
Original release date	1996
Is collectible	Y
Number of tracks	16
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Awards won	Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Recording
Track listing	Major Happy's Up and Coming Once Upon a Good Time Band, Rendezvous, Questionnaire, We've Arrived! (And to Prove It We're Here), Lonely-Phobia, Unfinished Words, Hey Mister!, Easy Listening, Now She's Left You, The Knicker Elastic King, I Love You, Eine Kleine Middle Klasse Musik, Joe Public, Shangri-La, Don't Know Why, Back in '64
Record label	Virgin Records Us
Track name	Shangri-La
Digital audio file format	CD
Music media format	CD
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N